RagNook wipes the glowing ichor from his cleaver as the cavern ceiling groans, showering the floor with dust. A man in tattered, dust-caked robes emerges from the shadows of the fissure. He stops dead, his gaze locked greedily upon the glistening, exposed heart of the dead beast.
Stranger
Step away, brute. That organ is worth more than your wretched life. Hand it over, and perhaps I will let you leave this tomb with your limbs still attached.
RagNook Butcher of the East
This scavenger thinks he can threaten a Butcher of the East? His arrogance smells worse than the rot in this cave.
RagNook Butcher of the East
You stand before a man who has gutted horrors that would turn your blood to ice. Move aside, or become the next ingredient in my pack.
Eldred
RagNook, be careful. His hands... they are stained with something that is not just dust. He is no simple merchant.
+ Scene Quest Added
Defend the beast heart from the scavenger
“tell the scavanger to back away or he will never see the outside of this cave again”
FAILURE (Fair Intimidation, rolled +0)
RagNook advances, his massive frame blocking the path to the heart, but he slips on a patch of slick, mineral-rich moss. The timing is abysmal. The Stranger doesn't cower. Instead, he flicks his wrist, sending a spray of fine, paralyzing dust directly into the Butcher's eyes.
Stranger
You speak of ice, yet you move with the grace of a drunken ox. Too slow, monster.
RagNook Butcher of the East
My vision... it’s blurring. The air tastes like bitter alum. I have to steady my footing before he lunges for the prize.
Eldred
RagNook! Watch his left sleeve! He's pulling a jagged blade from the folds of his robes!
The Stranger lunges forward, his movements unnaturally fluid, aiming for the gap in RagNook's leather armor as the Butcher struggles to blink away the stinging dust.
“catch the strangers hand and stab him with his own knife”
FAILURE (Good Agility, rolled +1)
RagNook attempts to snatch the incoming blade, but his clouded vision betrays him. His fingers close on empty air, brushing only the rough, cold fabric of the Stranger's sleeve. The momentum of his lunge, combined with the slick moss, causes him to stumble heavily.
Stranger
Too desperate, butcher! You reach for death when you should be reaching for the light!
The Stranger pivots with the precision of a predator, his own blade sliding cleanly into the exposed space between RagNook's ribs. The sting of cold steel biting into his side cuts through the haze of the dust, anchoring the Orc back to the reality of the hunt.
RagNook Butcher of the East
The cold... it’s biting. I can feel the steel sliding between my ribs. He’s fast, but he’s arrogant. He thinks he’s finished the kill.
Eldred
RagNook! Get back! He’s trying to pin you to the stone!
The Stranger presses his weight forward, twisting the blade deeper and pinning RagNook against the jagged wall of the grotto.
+ Scene Quest Added
Survive the ambush
“you win take the fucking heart and leave”
SUCCESS (Fair Intimidation, rolled +3)
RagNook’s hand slams against the stone, his knuckles whitening as the pressure of the blade against his ribs ignores the pain. He growls, a deep, guttural sound that vibrates through the very rock of the grotto, teeth bared in a snarl that stops the Stranger cold.
RagNook Butcher of the East
Take the heart and leave, you maggot. Before I decide your own entrails make for a better garnish than that beast.
The Stranger hesitates, his eyes widening as he processes the sheer, unchecked fury emanating from the wounded Orc. He senses the shift in the air, the cold resolve of a predator who has stopped playing with his food. Slowly, the scavenger pulls his blade back, the metal slick with dark blood.
RagNook Butcher of the East
One more step and I’ll carve him where he stands. The heart isn’t worth his miserable life, but my patience is reaching its end.
The Stranger glances at the beast’s carcass, then back at RagNook, his hand trembling as he considers his next move.
“wait for the stranger to start collecting the heart then leave him to his greed”
SUCCESS (Fair Willpower, rolled +2)
The Stranger’s eyes dart between the bleeding wound on RagNook’s side and the unblinking, glazed stare of the Orc. Greed finally wins out over terror. With a sharp exhale, he lunges toward the beast’s remains, his fingers digging into the viscera to tear the heart free.
RagNook Butcher of the East
Take it. That organ is riddled with the same rot that consumes your soul, but it keeps you focused on the wrong prize.
The scavenger heaves the wet, pulsating mass into his satchel, his back turned fully to the Butcher. He does not see the Orc shift his weight, the heavy cleaver sliding into a hidden grip within the folds of his cloak. The dripping blood from the Orc’s side pools on the cave floor, painting a jagged red map toward the exit.
RagNook Butcher of the East
Now, watch how a master prepares his exit.
The Stranger scrambles toward the mouth of the grotto, clutching his prize as if it were gold, oblivious to the fact that he is leaving the one thing he should have feared behind him.
Quest Complete
Defend the beast heart from the scavenger
Skill Upgrade: Anatomy Mediocre